Please Don't Tell the Sharks

PDT Cocktails Pack a Punch!

Stop 3 of the East Village Bar Crawl led us to Please Don't Tell (http://www.pdtnyc.com/). I tried to go here once before unsuccessfully, so I was very excited when my phone rang that our reservation was ready!

Please Don't Tell is one of the worst kept secrets in NYC speakeasies. I guess you should blame the internet for that. Clearly, this blog post is only perpetuating the non-exclusivity, but I believe in the democratization of fantastic cocktails. PDT is located within Crif Dogs, an unsuspecting hot dog shop. The food is great fast food - who doesn't enjoy processed, shaped meat wrapped in bacon?

Within a phone booth, there is a number to call to make a reservation. A hidden door opens and a very small lady opens to invite you to give your phone number. I imagine if it isn't busy you can sit down right away, but I've never had the pleasure.

After checking out the menu, we got the Shark, made with butter-infused Bacardi Silver Rum, overproof rum, Frangelico, Blue Curacao, Lemon and Pineapple Juice, Cream, and Bittermens Elemakule Tiki Bitters. It is a beautiful blue hue and accessorized with a teeny-tiny umbrella.

The Shark

The décor at PDT is interesting to say the least. Many taxidermed animals decorate the walls. It adds a certain "something" for sure.

This raccoon was out at night, so it didn't have rabies. Also, it was dead.

This is worth a visit for any serious cocktail fan. Just be prepared to wait - there are plenty of bars nearby to stick around for a drink or two while you wait for a ring!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Evelyn, The Pleasure is all Mine

Finally Made it Here!

I put together a list of cocktail places I wanted to visit during my time off (http://www.personalitini.com/cocktailandculinary/2013/12/22/cocktail-places-to-explore-in-january) and Evelyn (http://evelynnyc.com/) was in the East Village section. After our dinner at Back Forty, it was only a couple of blocks away to get to Evelyn. We ran since it was cold and we were THIRSTY!

The cocktail list is very interesting. There is a section called "Spirited Phosphates" which are carbonated beverages spiked with booze and charged with CO2! The drinks are "poured" from an old-fashioned seltzer container, super cool. The smaller size is $7 and the bigger size is $11. OF course we got the bigger size. I chose the Bramble Cup, made with Four Roses Bourbon, Pimms, Blackberry Syrup, Mint, Lemon, Angostura Bitters and Phosphate (the Bubbly stuff!). The quality of this photo sucks. I tend to use my iPhone but hate using the flash when I'm out. I don't want to be annoying when others are enjoying their cocktail or meal with a BRIGHT FLASH. So, sometimes we get ehhh photos.

The Bramble Cup

Since Aish and I were having a cocktail crawl, we only got one drink here. The back bar was interesting. It looked like someone was trying to be romantic with the candles and then things got out of hand. It adds a certain mood for sure.

Bath and Body Works EXPLODED on the Back Bar

I'd recommend exploring this spot and sticking around for a couple cocktails. I wanted to be able to walk to our next location, so we kept it tame with one.

Cheers,

Liz

 

Stand Under My Umbr(ELLA).

Backup Plans Can be the Best Plans.

This weekend, three of my friends (Sherri, Leslie and Tom) hosted a birthday party at The Royal (http://theroyalnyc.com/). The Royal is located near Union Square and tends to be a bit of a cluster-f. I arrived around 10:45pm and the place was already OVERFLOWING. The bouncers are some real winners (read: asshats) too. Some of my friends left the inside party and we left to start our own party somewhere else. Someone in our group suggested Ella (http://ellalounge.com/), a lounge that features live music in Alphabet City. The venue is a bit narrow but also has a basement..but the basement was booked for a private party, so it looked like we would be hanging on the main level. I took a photo below, the lighting is cool but not as cool as my photo (due to an illuminating effect on my camera, sooo not cool to use a flash in the club!). 

The signature cocktail, appropriately named the Reyka Vodka, St. Germain, Watermelon and Lemon Juice. They use fresh watermelon, evidence below. 

Overall, it was a fun spot, but the narrowness of the venue makes bumping into people almost a guarantee. If I come again, I'd come for the live music and then leave before it converts into more of a dance venue (after 11pm). 

Until next time,

Liz

 

Cocktails by Color at Peels

Feeling Orange!

Peels (http://peelsnyc.com/) is a lovely New American restaurant near Stern. Based on Instagram pics and FourSquare check-ins, it is popular with a lot of my friends. I was excited to check it out with my good friend Liv. 

The cocktail menu is really unique. I love how the cocktails are organized by color. I am a huge fan of cachaca, passionfruit and grapefruit, so I went with orange!

The ice cubes are awesome! Huge square blocks that have a slow melt so they don't dilute the cocktail.

I will have to go back during the school year!

Liz

 

Pour(ing) on the Ribbons of Cocktails!

Checked Off Another Speakeasy!

I had heard about Pouring Ribbons (http://www.pouringribbons.com/) and wanted to check it out but had not found myself in Alphabet City. After my mid-year intern celebration (I've been bad in posting!), we went to Pouring Ribbons, since we were right down the block! 

Drink #1 - bartender's choice with Zacapa Rum as the base. I thought it was ok but wasn't a fan of some of the bartender's mixer choices - sometimes it pays to be VERY specific of what you do/don't like. Wasn't feeling too adventurous that night.

My next cocktail was straight off the menu, a classic Champagne cocktail. Delicious and refreshing!

Overall, I thought that Pouring Ribbons was a beautiful space and was quiet enough to have conversations with your friends or date. I will keep this in mind to visit in the future!

Cheers,

Liz